Dutton Ranch‘s Finn Little and Natalie Alyn Lind weighed in on how Carter and Oreana’s age gap has affected their romance so far.
“Oreana has had a little bit more experience in the whole dating scene. This being Carter’s first love, you do fall head over heels the first time,” Little, 20, exclusively told Us Weekly during the joint interview. “I’m not sure if that was what Oreana was expecting but that’s what happened.”
Lind, 26, meanwhile, came to her character’s defense.
“She is the type where her childhood feels like it was taken away from her,” the actress noted. “She’s always been put into a box and told where she has to go to college or what she has to do. Being with Carter has given her her youth back in a way and there’s something whimsical and magical about that.”
Oreana is 24 years old while Carter is 19, and they share a dynamic she previously described as mirroring that of Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser) in Yellowstone.
Lind continued: “She feels like a kid when she’s around him but she also acts like a child. I think that Carter’s character is a lot more mature than Oreana is at most times and he has a much more level head. But he’s a grounding force. So it’s funny to see a character that is technically older acting like a child with a character that’s younger that acts like he’s — at times — 80 years old.”
Yellowstone viewers watched Carter grow up on the Paramount Network show. When the franchise expanded with Dutton Ranch, Carter was back but this time he is a high school student preparing for adulthood. Carter’s first relationship has crashed and burned so far after Oreana took a step back in the most recent episode of the show.
“There’s a scene that was in with [Oreana’s dad] that’s not in there. Obviously I think that it was done just for the arc of the season and it makes sense that it was. It kind of just leaves some stuff up to interpretation,” Lind teased about more insight into her character. “But I think that being raised with just her father — and not her mom — led to her dad Rob-Will always being the person to tell her yes.”
Oreana’s upbringing ultimately led to rebellion, with Lind adding, “She loves her dad and it’s a toxic relationship that I think that a lot of women fall into. She’s drawn to that toxicity. Throughout all channels of her life, she’s drawn to this toxic energy, which is probably why she pushes Carter away when he’s a positive one.”
As a result, Oreana and Carter are broken up — for now.
“It was coming. It’s probably best that it happens earlier rather than later and having everything built up,” Little told Us before Lind added, “The best things in life you have to work for. It’s this feeling when you’re given everything that you want and everything that you’ve worked for and rebelling against it.”
She added: “That’s what’s happening in this circumstance. But a true love story doesn’t come without some obstacles. You don’t just naturally fall in love. That’s romances across the board — regardless of how old you are.”
Dutton Ranch airs Fridays on Paramount+.
